This annual program was first introduced in 1994 and has become one of the most recognized and prestigious awards in the educational market. A panel of teachers across the country evaluates each product in the classroom.

The products are evaluated in real life situation on quality, instructional value, ease of use and innovation and Brinsea® Mini incubator and OvaScope scored highly on all counts. We really could not ask for better reviews.

Read on to find out what this panel of teachers had to say in answer to the following questions:

EVERYTHING! This is my 11th year incubating chicks in my Kindergarten classroom, and my 1st year that it has been worry free! The ease of programming and having it all be automatic was so reassuring of a successful hatch. The size and design made it easy for the students to observe the eggs during the process, and made it easier to store. Clean up was amazing! The OvaScope was awesome too. For the first time, I was able to easily candle the eggs and display the images on the Smart board using my webcam. The students and I were awed and excited.

The simplicity and durability. This was my 1st time to study life cycles. It was so wonderful to have this product. The set up was easy, cleaning was wonderful. It was so nice to have such a wonderful study be magnified by the ease of this product.

For teachers who have never incubated eggs before and don't know much about it, this is a great way to get started. The digital set up does all of the monitoring which takes much of the guess work out of incubation for novices. The OvaScope is a great way to candle eggs. The light was bright enough and the extra piece that covers the egg makes candling in bright classrooms easier.

It's ease of use was most important to me. Once I had keyed in the temperature, number of days to incubate, and auto turn, the rest was a breeze. I didn't have to do anything but add water every day or two. The students could see everything going on. Once we were able to view the progress of egg development, the OvaScope was used with our Activboard and students could view the embryo on a big screen.

The incubator was easy to use. The aspect I liked the most was its accessibility for children to view. The OvaScope made a closer look for the children to understand the developmental process of hatching chicks.

How did you make use of the product or integrate it into your lesson plans?

As a unit on life cycles, I incubate chicks every year in my Kindergarten classroom. The OvaScope provided a clear, easy way to see the inside of the eggs. I was able to show and explain how some of the eggs didn't have anything in them, meaning that they wouldn't hatch. In the past the kids were left with the question of whether or not the chick had died
inside the egg, but this time I was able to show them what it looked like.

The students were so excited about the whole project! The excitement of seeing the eggs and being able to look inside them gave the entire class a great learning experience.

It was integrated into our science elective class for students in middle school who are studying zoology and botany. We used it for a traditional unit on embryology and also for animal care. The students weighed the eggs for the first 15 days and compared the percentage of weight change. Students also viewed the eggs via the Ovascope.

I used this product to enrich my unit on the human body. This was an excellent hands on way to engage students and extend beyond the regular curriculum to introduce students to embryology. Students enjoyed checking the eggs every day. They were excited to record new observations in their lab journals. They could not wait until hatching day.

We studied the life cycles of animals, particularly chicks. The incubator/Ovascope gave us a unique opportunity to witness the development and birth of chickens. Never before have students been able to view the progress and birth so easily. The product was easily incorporated into my lesson plan due to the fact that we were able to track the days of incubation and stages automatically. The children were so excited when the first chick pecked out of its shell. Then they anticipated the arrival of the next chick and the next.

What skills did your students learn from this product?

My students learned patience (waiting 21 days for the hatch, without any visible signs of activity on the outside. As we candled them through the process we were able to graph and compare the developmental stages which were occurring to those in a book. We were able to explore the life cycle of chickens. Watch them develop with the Ovascope and wait with greater patience because of the clear dome construction.

Students gained a higher interest in animal development. They learned that care begins before the babies are born. They learned basic embryology skills.

Students were able to further develop the scientific skills of observation and recording data. They were also introduced to embryology using real life examples.

They learned the process of egg to chick. We were able to track the days as it was automatically displayed on the incubator read-out. We actually watched and recorded a chick hatch. The students were thrilled and amazed. Never before had we observed the process so thoroughly.

My students learned the stages of development from egg to chick. They also made predictions, wrote stories, and enjoyed art activities to correlate with this lesson. The hatching of the chicks was recorded, and the children watch the clip repeatedly with excitement.

Would you recommend this product to a teacher?

I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this product to any teacher at any grade/age level who would like a convenient, no-hassle way to study life cycles by hatching baby chicks. The instructions are very clear and easy to understand, making it even easier to provide this incredible learning experience to kids.

Yes! This product is well constructed, easy to understand and operate. Its simple use made this a great product.

Yes! This was an easy and kid-friendly way to hatch eggs in the classroom!
I would recommend the kit! It was perfect, especially for a teacher who did not have any experience hatching eggs in the classroom. It was student-friendly and easy to use.

Absolutely! All the teachers and students in our building have enjoyed this product by coming by and viewing ours. It’s agreat classroom tool!

I highly recommend this product to other teachers at the elementary school level or any level. The enthusiasm in our school was overwhelming. Students stopped by to see the chicks daily checking on their progress. This high tech incubator was awesome!